From the early stages of his sophomore season at Marin Catholic-Kentfield - when he competed with the team's top athlete, Chris Tewhill, for the starting job - to a record-breaking All-State junior season and a prolific senior season that ended in a state bowl game, Goff simply produced with poise.

The Cal-bound senior threw for 7,066 yards and 93 touchdowns in his career, and this season, he was 236-for-368 (64 percent) for 3,692 yards and 40 touchdowns with 12 interceptions for a rating of 120.

He led the Metro Area in passing yards and TD passes, and also showed much-improved running skills with 332 yards (including sacks) and eight touchdowns.

His Wildcats went 14-2 in 2012 - losing 38-35 to Madison-San Diego in a thrilling Division III state bowl game - and Marin Catholic was 39-4 in his three seasons on the team.

Through all of it, he competed with calm, grace and a quiet, seething competitiveness.

For it all, he was named the 2012 Chronicle Metro Player of the Year.

"I've known him since we were in the second grade in Pop Warner, and I can honestly say he's always been a great guy," Marin Catholic middle linebacker Alex Poksay said. "I knew - we all knew back then - he was going to be special. He's always been a great leader, always accepted the responsibility being the quarterback brings. And he's never demanded attention. It just naturally came his way."

It helped, surely, to be the son of former big-league catcher Jerry Goff, who, by all accounts, had just the right touch with his son and coaches over the years.

After Jared's final game, in which he threw for 262 yards and accounted for all five of his team's touchdowns, he sought out his dad in the Home Depot Center stands and the two engaged in a long, emotional embrace.

By the time Jared got back to reporters, he was composed, just as he was during more than 40 varsity games. His team had squandered a 21-0 lead, but fought back from a 31-21 deficit to take a short-lived 35-31 fourth-quarter lead on his fourth TD pass of the game.

"It's tough," Jared Goff said. "You want to win your last one. We laid it all out there. ... We've been coming back and fighting back all year. Unfortunately, we just couldn't finish it off.

"But I wouldn't trade this season or my teammates and coaches for anything or anyone. I'll never forget these guys."

That works both ways.

"I never heard him talk about himself once," Marin Catholic senior running back Akili Terry said of Goff. "He's an Elite 11 quarterback. He's playing in the (Army) All-American Bowl next month. But you'd never hear it from him. He's just cool. He's humble."

Marin Catholic coach Mazi Moayed added, "Considering everything that's been thrown his way in three years, I can't imagine anyone handling it better than Jared. He's very genuine. He handles every situation just right. It's been an honor coaching him."

Madison coach Rick Jackson saw Goff in person only once, but came away more than impressed.

"We were just a little slow, a step behind in our coverages at the beginning," Jackson said. "You can't do that against a quarterback of that caliber. He's unbelievable. He's an exceptional quarterback."

He'll show off his skills at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio on Jan. 5. A few weeks after that, he plans to enroll at Cal early to get ahead of the quarterback curve under new head coach Sonny Dykes.

"He carved out quite a high school career here," Moayed said. "It's hard to believe it's over. He'll be sorely missed."